The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-18
HE HAS BEEN HANGED ONCE
A Protest Against the Second Hang
ing of a Citizen of New Mexico.

JlsU YORK. sun writes: FRIENDS OF Ine
odore Baker, now confined in the peni
Tertiary here under the sentence o
death for tho murder of man in Eas
Colfax County, this Territory, think /
..rticularly hard that he should b.
compelled to mount the gallows. Thu
Territorial Supreme Court has jus
rendered decision in his case affirm
ing the sentence of death, and fixinl
the date of his execution on the 18th
this month. The prisoners fricndi
will see If they cannot get the case be-
fore the United States Supreme Court
on the ground that Baker has one,
been hanged for the crime, and thai
the proposal to hang him again IS In
violation of the Constitution Of the
United States. which declare that
man shall not be twice put in leopard,
for the same oflense.
Bakers crime was the killing o
Frank Uhruh, little more than yea
ago. Uhruh was a surveyor, ant
Baker had been asked by him to keel
watch upon affairs ut Uhruh's rancl
while the latter was absent. In Thu
way Baker and Mrs. Uhruh struck NJ
an intimacy, which lasted for SOM
time. Concerning the denounmen
there are conflicting stories. Baker ant
the woman say that Uhruh attacked
Baker, and that the shooting was il
self-defensc. Neighboring ranches
assert, however that the liaison wal
notorious, and that Baker and the wo
man had more than once threatened t.
make way with Uhruh. The position
in which the body of the murdered
man was found, and the fact that bul
let-marks in the wall of the room indi
Gated that the shooting was all on on,
side, and served 10 fix the guilt upor
Baker. The prisoner is a young man o
more than ordinary intelligence, ant
the woman, who is now in jail a
Springer awaiting trial as an accessory
is prepossessing in appearance.
As soon rs Baker was placed unde
arrest he was conveyed to Springer
where he was seized by mob ant
lynched before he could be put in Jail
Murders had been of frequent occur
renee in that vicinity, and it was enough
for the crowd to know that the officer
had man charged with that crime. L
is not probable that one man in ten wht
participated in the lynching of Bakel
knew anything about the circum
stances of the crime with which he wal
charged. Having hanged him in tn,
regulation style, to the limb of tree
nd fa lao 1nnca nf
to the trunk, the mob watched the
dangling body for n few minutes anc
then left the spot, dividing up among
the various saloons of the town, where
the incident created only passing sen.
sation. While the incident was goins
on the sheriff was watching affairs neal
by and as soon MS he saw the crowc
dispense he ran quickly to the hanging
form and cut it down. With the assist
anco of deputy he carried the body tt
the back door of the jail, and on enter
ing that building and giving orders no.
to be disturbed he proceeded, with the
assistance of n physician, to revive hi.
prisoner. Baker had been hanging by
the neck for ten minutes when he wa;
cut down, and at least fifteen minutes
more elapsed before the sheriff had hin
in the ia All this time the prisoner
was unconscious and apparently life
less. But the sheriff went to work OF
him with great energy. and after hal
an hour of rubbing and the application
internally and externally of spirits he
was rewarded by seeing tho man who
had been hanged open his eyes anc
look wonderingly about him. All tina
night the sheriff never left his charge
for minute, and by morning of the
next day he had Baker sufficiently re
vived to breathe with regularity and t.
eat in mechanical way some ligh
food.
Thus far no one in Springer knew o
the recovery except the Sheriff, his dep
uty and. the doctor, and it was decided
that the matter should be kept pro
found secret until Baker could bo re
moved to Santa Fe for safe keeping
This was accomplished during the fol
lowing week, and the man who haC
had such strange experience was plac.
ed under the care of competent physi'
clans here. At first Baker could moi
talk at all, but gradually his thought.
became more collected, and on severa
occasions he described TO visitors, M,
Sun correspondent among them, hil
sensations as he was hanging from thu
limb from which he had been loosel,
swung. For six months he suffered in
tensely from pains in the head and from
dizziness. sometimes becoming almos
deranged, being unconscious of his sur
roundings. During these periods h,
would live over again his experience a
a ropes end and on recovering h,
would be weak and greatly depressed
in spirits On his trial the facts rs Il